Falconry – Bloodsport or Alternative Form of Birding?

I’ve recently returned from a filming trip in Arizona where I have been working on a production for National Geographic on Harris’s (Harris) Hawks. During the filming of this production, I got to experience “dirt hawking”. Dirt hawking is a form of falconry that involves hunting rabbits and other small game with Harris Hawks (other hawk species also qualify). One of the primary reasons that these hawks make such excellent falconry birds is because they are one of only two raptor species (the other is the Galapagos Hawk) that hunt cooperatively. There are many examples in the animal world of pack behavior. Take lions, wolves, hyenas to name a few. But in the case of Harris Hawks, this mentality jumps the species barrier and they form a strong bond with their human partners, readily accepting their non-avian hunting companions as members of their pack.

A pair of Harris Hawks allow a close approach

Prior to experiencing falconry first-hand, I must admit to being a little bit skeptical as to the merits of the sport. I have never been one to advocate the needless killing of animals for whatever purpose. But after spending time with experienced falconers in the field I have come to respect and admire the responsible practitioners of this, the sport of kings. Consider the following quote, “Falconry involves the use of birds of prey to kill other birds and animals for sport. The League Against Cruel Sports believes that in the interests of raptor welfare, no further licences should be issued. The League believes that the bloodsport of falconry should be banned.” League Against Cruel Sports. Whilst one cannot dispute the initial description, it is my opinion that it is stretching the truth to label falconry as a “bloodsport”. My reasons for this are as follows:

1. Raptors are wild animals that are driven by their instinct to find food. In the case of fox hunting (a true bloodsport), dogs are domesticated animals that are killing, not for food, but for sport.

2. Falconry birds are essentially free to come and go as they choose when they are hunting (unlike bloodsports like cock fighting and dog fighting). It is only due to the strong bond (and association with food) between falconer and raptor that the birds return after a hunt.

3. The odds are pretty much even between raptor and prey – as it would be with a wild bird and a prey animal. If anything, it could be said that falconry strengthens the gene pool of prey animals. Survival of the fittest.

4. Falconers are the primary reason why the Peregrine Falcon was brought back from the brink of extinction – by supplementing the dwindling wild population with captive birds. All the falconers I have met are caring conservationists who treat their birds – and nature – with the utmost respect.

5. Many falconers use their birds to educate children as to the importance of raptors. This contribution to the education of our children is invaluable.

I will admit that there are legitimate concerns that have been raised about falconry – birds that are not native to an area sometimes escape and become feral; humans should minimize their influence on nature. And these are just a few of the arguments against falconry. But I believe the overall benefits outweigh the negatives. And it is a fantastic way to enjoy and appreciate the outdoors as I hope my account of a morning’s hunt will relay…

A pair of Harris Hawks get ready for the morning hunt

We arrive at a beautiful piece of the Sonoran Desert just as the sun is blanketing the earth in her warm light. This is a transitional ecosystem, validated by the mixture of low altitude saguaro cacti and high altitude juniper trees. The party comprises our film crew, four local falconers and three eager Harris Hawks. This is the very best time to be in the desert with the sounds of Black-throated Sparrows, Curve-billed Thrashers and Cactus Wren permeating the still air. These desert inhabitants are waking up, whilst others, like a pair of diminutive Elf Owls, are settling down after a night of reveling. But what really strikes me is the smell – fresh, clean and without comparison.

A Harris Hawk takes up the sentry position

The hawks are relaxed, confined for now in the trunks of the two SUVs. There is no wind and the habitat is perfect for cottontail rabbits and the much larger jackrabbits (actually hares), the preferred quarry of this group of three birds. They have hunted together before, this pack of sky wolves. The deadly trio comprises one male and two larger females. I am reminded by the falconers that each bird has its own distinctive personality. They also have their own distinct roles when hunting together as a pack.

The falconers remove the birds from their crates, take off their hoods and we’re all set to go. My job is to move ahead and kick bushes in the hope of flushing a rabbit or hare. We set off and within minutes, we flush a large jackrabbit. “HO!! HO!!!” comes the signature cry of the falconers, an indication that prey has been flushed. But the aerial assassins require no notification as they instantaneously set off after it at lightning speed. The hare zigzags amongst the cholla cactus, desperately aware of its impending fate. It disappears into a thick stand of vegetation. The birds have missed. Moments later the male bird swoops towards a large cactus. I catch a glimpse of a small rodent disappearing into a burrow. “Ground-squirrel” shouts a falconer, thankful that the bird has missed as they can consume a squirrel in a minute or two, limiting their willingness to hunt further.

Fifteen minutes later the male birds puts in on a cottontail and the two females hurry over to him. Being smaller, he is perfectly suited to a ground attack. The male walks towards the bush where the cottontail disappeared. The two females wait patiently perched on top of a saguaro. I can feel the adrenalin coursing through my veins as I watch the male disappear down a hole. Within seconds a grey blur bolts from the other side of the bush, straining to reach the next bit of cover. One of the females crashes into a cholla cactus and I can see her struggling. Its over in seconds. With pieces of cholla cactus imbedded in her thighs and wings, the large female straddles the lifeless rabbit as the other birds move in for their share. Primal, staggering, breath-taking. I stand with my jaw open, stunned by the rawness of nature.

The rabbit is dispatched in seconds

Although I’m sure that there are readers that will disagree with my sentiments, I must confess to being enthralled by my experience with Harris Hawks. The thrill of the hunt, the smell and sounds of the desert in the early morning, the ability to see a finely-tuned hunter up close. All these factors contribute to my opinion that falconry, if conducted respectfully and responsibly, is an alternative form of birding.

A life-long birder and native of South Africa, James Currie has many years experience in the birding and wildlife tourism arenas. James has led professional wildlife and birding tours for 15 years and his passion for birding and remote cultures has taken him to far corners of the earth from the Amazon and Australia to Africa and Madagascar. He is also an expert in the field of sustainable development and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in African Languages and a Masters degree in Sustainable Environmental Management. From 2004-2007 James worked as the Managing Director of Africa Foundation, a non-profit organization that directs its efforts towards the uplifting of communities surrounding wildlife areas in Africa. James is currently the host and owner of Nikon's Birding Adventures TV and he resides in West Palm Beach, Florida.

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James, I’ve been a falconer for nearly 20 years and I wanted to thank you for the kind comments on our sport. I’ve always found that negative comments usually come from those that have never experienced the sport.

I see you’re in Florida, if you would ever like to get out with local falconers I’d be happy to put you in touch with someone near you. Thanks again,

I stumbled across this site while searching for a solution to a problem I have. And I saw that you’re in Florida, so hopefully you can give me some advice. My elderly father raises pigeons. It’s his passion. Well, a couple of hawks moved in next door and, well, you can imagine how that’s going. The hawks are beautiful, and I know they are only doing what comes natural to them, but I’m hoping someone can take them off our hands. Is this possible?? We are located in Deltona, FL

As a falconer for 6 years, I wanted to thank you for your honest depiction of our sport. It is rare that a non-falconer can express what we do with such clarity and understanding. You are a welcome addition to the wider falconry family. We can always use more supporters of this beautiful and exciting sport.

King James I called falconry “an extreme stirrer up of passions.” I’ve also been a falconer 20 years and am glad you ended up on the pro side. I hunted with Harris hawks for 15+ years and they are great companions, not just for hunting but you sense they actually like you.

One minor note: the ground squirrel has a fierce bite and razor teeth. Taking the edge off a hawk’s appetite is nothing compared to taking off a hawk’s toe.

@Andrea: To witness the bond between the birds and their partners was truly special. I use the word “partner” rather than owner because, as you mention in your comment, the bond appears to be more than that of “owner” and “owned”. Thanks for your comment

great post, as usual. Watching these hawks hunting together has to be quite a sight!

As a side note, I don’t completely agree with the “survival of the fittest” point you made :

– the prey might be extremely well adapted (or fit) to avoid predation by the local raptors, but might be powerless when introduced with an unknown predator. Hunting with Harris Hawks in Midwest, for instance, might actually very unfair to the local (fit or not) prey.

– It is not often that, in nature, Hawks have a telegenic human who is beating the brushes around to help them flush the rabbits….

@Laurent: you make a valid point and I agree that the odds might be swayed a little more than would be the case in a natural situation because of the addition of humans into the equation. I have to add that humans are part of nature. Forging a mutually beneficial relationship with another species is nothing new to the natural world. Additionally, I do not know this for sure but I would guess that more times than not the prey animal escapes, even with human intervention. Great comment and thanks for the response.

Nature is Nature. There is no “cruelty” in the way things are here. It only becomes so if we make a judgement rather than just enjoying the unedited, non-intentional happenings.
Erika Lantry,
Lover of all of Nature

I have to second Eric’s sentiments. (And admit he’s a longtime friend). I too have been a falconer for 16 years and am constantly writing to explain the seeming contradiction of our art as hunting. I can go on about it forever, but to have someone such as yourself articulate it is so much more powerful. Thank you!

@Rebecca: I never though of falconry as an art-form before but I can see how falconry can be described as such. The attention to detail, creativity and patience required to practice it properly are certainly reminiscent of a form of art.

I really enjoyed reading about your experience. If you were out with Charlie Kaiser you were in great company.

Laurent – I’d like to follow up on a couple points you raised.

“the prey might be extremely well adapted (or fit) to avoid predation by the local raptors” This seems, on the surface, to be a very valid statement. However, the raptors in the world fall into some small sets of “types”, and these “types” occur all over the world even if exact species dont. A prey animal in the midwest that is used to defending itself against a redtail hawk is perfectly suited to defend itself against a harris hawk because they are so similar.

“It is not often that, in nature, Hawks have a telegenic human who is beating the brushes around to help them flush the rabbits….” Actually, raptors, all raptors, instintively follow ground animals and use them to flush prey for them. Humans doing it on purpose is not very different from an elk or a moose doing it on accident. Its certainly no different from the point of view of the animal flushed.

Just because an animal is in the open and being chased does not mean it will be caught.

Most falconers have a keen sense of fair play and fair chase. If the prey animal makes it to safety, we pay our respects and look for another. If it is caught, we pay our respects and feed our hunting partner.

The downside on falconry is that it allows for the commercial trade of birds of prey that are taken out of
their habitats. Peregrines, Harris, Merlins, Ghost Hawks, Eagles are seen in TV shows, movies and most
of the media. The only justifiable falconry used today is to rehabilitate birds.

The Harris Hawks in the first picture are exhibiting “Mantling Behavior” a common practice by birds of prey
to protect their catch. When, the breeding of wild animals for the pet trade is allowed, the door for the illegal trade is opened wide. People like to collect wildlife of al sorts, even if they do not know the first thing about the creature they acquired.

Having trained hawks and eagles myself, I do not condone the former art (not a sport) as one has to really create a bond between one´s bird and oneself. No human can provide the well being of a wild animal´s needs. Birds should be allowed to fly when they desire and go about in their lives as they please. No matter how much the “Pros” argue, a free bird will always be a more beautiful site, than one whose subdued spirit y bent by man’s ego.

How many of the captive birds are released into the wild, and how many are “retired” because on old age. The Mongols, the initiators of the art release their eagles after 5 years of work. The eagles are captures as young adults, just as they are looking for new territories. This guarantees, that they have been trained by their parents, their personalities are well developed, and they are ready for the most dangerous year of their life, the year of their independence.

Jeff, I am a naturalist guide and have been a professional for nearly 25 years. We have to be responsible with our audience, as they look up to you as role model and a public figure. There is a fine line one has to walk, the one between what is right and what is part of the show…Congruency may be lacking when branding gets in the way, but its up to the well known individual what road to take. A wild animal is a free spirit and there are no justifications to get them out of their homes and their preservation of their lineage (Gene Pull) so I may be involved in the showing debate between the “Falconers” and those who oppose them.

Leo, I have been a falconer for some time…I have not seen wild birds enter commercial trade. I may be naive or not as entrenched as you are. Could you share with us how birds from the wild are bought and sold for commercial purposes? I do believe birds that are unable to be released to the wild due to injuries sustained in the wild are often used as ambassadors for the species…but I can’t recall wild birds being traded commercially. I thought that was illegal. Jason bever

Great blog, James. I very much enjoyed your story of the hunt, and appreciate your insight regarding emotional opposition to falconry. Most falconers (and for that matter hunters) I know also find bloodsports offensive. A true bloodsport, IMO, is one in which one domestic animal is pitted against another in a confined space, thus leaving each animal no choice but to fight for its life.

Personally I feel that hunting by any method is ethical when the prey population is biologically sound, and when the prey animal is used for food. That does not mean that I would seek to prevent hunters from legally taking a non-food trophy. It would be inappropriate for me to impose my personal feelings on someone else who is practicing legal hunting of a biologically sound population.

While it is true that wild hawks do not have humans to flush quarry for them, they do have time. The wild hawk can wait all day for the rabbit to move. When a falconer flushes a rabbit for his hawk, he is merely changing the timing of the event.

Each ecosystem, for the most part, has a range of raptors from small to large, hawks to falcons, etc. Using a non-native raptor to practice falconry does not necessarily put the native quarry at a disadvantage. Midwestern rabbits know how to avoid redtails, and avoiding a Harris requires the same skill set. Avoiding multiple Harrises would be new to them, of course. The success rate of a group of Harrises would go up from a single bird. But as long as the rabbit population is sound, and the rabbits go into the freezer to feed the hawks through the molt, then there is no logical reason to oppose it.

Finally, predators are generally capable of taking the fit animals among their prey. If they were not they would not be able to survive. However, predators tend to be opportunistic, because conserving energy is always in their best interest. Thus when presented with the opportunity to take a “less-fit” prey animal, they will often take advantage of it. Over the long-term, predators may well weed out those individuals with less than ideal genetics. On the short-term, they certainly improve the health of the local population, as prey that are slower are often sick, or heavily infested with parasites.

Thank you, again, James. Looking forward to seeing the NatGeo show in the fall. Happy birding to you!

Falconry is a wonderful pursuit for all the reasons above, and also as a way for the public to learn to fall in love with these birds, as falconers often take them as “ambassadors” to festivals. Once you’ve seen a hawk up close, you gain a new respect for them.

There is one downside to falconry that hasn’t been mentioned. It happened last year to a Canadian friend of mine and his bird, a Prairie Falcon. Unfortunately, falconers have to obey the hunting laws, and hunt in season. They share the land and the air space with dozens of brainless yahoos with shotguns. This gentleman found his bird at the end of the day, dead of a gunshot. A real tragedy for all involved, and although the falconer probably knew the shooter (it was a small community), he could do nothing.

Leopold, yes, in the best of all worlds these hawks would be better left alone to be free, and to pass on their genes unimpeded for eons.
But this is not the best of all worlds. Consider also the plight of Harris’ Hawk. It lives in certain states where firearms are king, and “you can’t tell me what to do” is the mantra, and plinking birds sitting on telephone poles (as Harris’ do) is a time-honored tradition. All that the Nat Geo entertainment product has to do is to induce one or two 2nd Amendment types, and his kids, to give the next few hawks they see a break, and maybe even some respect, and you have increased the gene pool by that many birds. Human involvement isn’t always bad.

I felt that your post was excellent. Approaching the art of falconry from a skeptical viewpoint, but learning that it is a partnership with these birds, not domestication. I have collected sites about how falconers were the ones who saved the peregrine from the brink of extinction: http://www.seeaperegrinethankafalconer.blogspot.com Check it out.

Another form of green pest control is the use of falconry trained birds to deter pest birds and mammals. Falconry based bird and pest abatement.

Human and animal partnerships for hunting and companionship go back further than written history itself. It seems “natural” to me that such partnerships exist.

I am always amazed at the skill of the birds of prey used in falconry, just as I am watching a Border Collie herd sheep. The animals seem right in their element and “happy” (Dare I use that word for animals?)

As in everything good and praiseworthy, there is an opposite. I have heard terrible stories of wild birds being poached for the falconry trade. I hope that is not the accepted and known, but unspoken, culture among falconers. All of the falconers I’ve met have been very strong advocates for the wild birds and educating the public. Just look at the example of Morley Nelson for whom is named my beloved Snake River Birds of Prey area in Idaho.

When it comes to hunting, I still believe what my Scout Master taught me as a boy “If you kill it, you eat it” which for me means that the killing of any animal must have a reasonable purpose and utility either for food or clothing for us, or even for other animals.

It will be interesting to know if those opposed to falconry also have a domesticated cat, dog, or pet fish. How many animals die to feed them?

I would respectfully argue this… in a world where human beings believe that food comes unharmed from the grocery store, it isn’t as simple as you imply. I don’t say this off-handedly. Yesterday someone on facebook who runs a parrot “sanctuary” had a fit over the idea that I would hunt introduced European starlings (I’m in the US) to a Cooper’s hawk I am rehabilitating as opposed to feeding it the “chickens you can buy in a grocery store.”

I agree. This isn’t a show. However, we no longer live in a world where people are only one or two degrees of separation from the farm or ranch where there food is raised. Falconry is intriguing. Falconry makes people ask questions. It is a fantastic way to engage once more in the conversation of what it costs the environment for you to live. In a world where children grow up in front of television or TV screen, anything that can be done to engage them to get dirty and see nature is a boon. It’s a delicate balance. I experienced falconry through the spectacle of the media and now 16 years later my worldview is balanced — nature is harsh, but I add humanity where I can. I am a Director of Development, fundraising for Ducks Unlimited to restore and create wetlands habitat. Were I not a falconer– I would be working for corporate America. I kill ducks with my peregrine. I want my wonderland and those amazing creatures to exist in perpetuity.

“The downside on falconry is that it allows for the commercial trade of birds of prey that are taken out of their habitats.”

This is absolutely false. By federal law no wild taken raptor may be used for commercial gain. They may be transferred, but not for consideration, and only to someone who is licensed to receive it. What you see on TV and in raptor abatement are captive bred birds, their “habitat” is captivity. As far as human intervention in a hunt being “unnatural” I am a farmer and have been for my whole life. I can assure you and the readers of this blog that wild hawks definitely learn to take advantage of a field being mowed and the local rodent population’s exposure. All without any intervention. I can’t count the number of redtails I have see so gorged with mice and voles that they can hardly fly after I cut a field.

Some further thoughts: James and others commented on the idea that humans have every right to participate in nature. Those of us who do actually participate, rather than skim across the top of it, have a far deeper respect for her than most others.

I hunt nearly every day of the hunting season with my falcon and/or my hawk, from early September to early March. Weekends from September to February see me spending time in the field with my Browning Silver shotgun and my fine Wirehaired Vizsla. Hunting is hunting, death is death. Whether you eat a chicken from the grocery store, feed your cat or dog kibble, eat a quail you shot this morning, or feed your hawk some jackrabbit she killed last season, something had to die for that to happen. Falconers are not better than other hunters because they use raptors, nor are they worse. They are just different. Use of a shotgun to take legal quarry does not make one a “brainless yahoo.”

Use of a weapon of any sort to intentionally take illegal game is poaching, not hunting. Poaching is a criminal activity, and poachers should be penalized accordingly. Most wildlife rehabilitators will tell you that the numbers of gunshot raptors have dramatically declined over the past two decades. One hopes this is due in some small part to the efforts of falconers who volunteer their time for educational events.

Regarding a black market for falconry birds: no, there isn’t one. That would be comparable to a black market for cigarettes. Falconry birds are bred in captivity all around the world and are available for very reasonable prices. It is possible that occasionally a falconer, or someone calling himself a falconer, commits a crime by poaching a raptor from the wild. Within any group there are, unfortunately, immoral individuals. The falconry community does not turn a blind eye to such behavior. The vast majority of licensed U.S. falconers, besides being law-abiding citizens, would have no desire to risk losing their falconry permit if caught. And here in the United States, most of us have very reasonable seasons within which we can legally capture an immature bird to use for falconry. A falconer poaching a raptor here would make as much sense as a wealthy actress shop-lifting clothing.

This is an engaging and enjoyable group of posts. Thank you, James, for getting it started.

Thanks for a very interesting post. I recently had the pleasure of seeing a LeConte’s Thrasher at its nest in a cholla cactus. When telling this story to friends, I got several responses suggesting that maybe the bird “pruned” up the entrance to the nest by breaking of some cactus spines. Have you ever heard of such behavior? Then you mentioned that one of your Harris’s Hawks got stuck with cholla needles. I’m wondering if you helped the hawk get the stickers out or whether they can do it themselves. Before you dismiss these questions as off the wall, please notice that I avoided all controversy and simply accepted your expertise.

As you have noted, there are always many sides to any story and a story about the love of raptors is certainly no exception. Pam and Charlie are good friends and I have to say I have never heard them refer to their experience with raptors as a “sport” or even to themselves as “falconers”. Both of them are committed to the preservation of native birds to the birds’ specific natural habitats. I have also never known them to remove birds from a nest just to “collect” a different species, nor have they ever even considered selling a bird. Every bird that they have raised or taken care of was either orphaned or was found injured. I believe that this is a very improtant distinction.

Really interesting post, although I think its very safe to say that falconry is not an alternative form to birding. To play Devil’s Advocate, I think falconry can seem more of a bloodsport if you watch falconer’s Golden Eagles duking it out with foxes or deer (just check Youtube)…it can truly look like a brawl sometimes, and does not look “fair” to either the hunter or the hunted. That said, I think its hilarious that a League Against Cruel Sports even exists. So…has anyone been stabbed by cholla needles? It sucks.

Leopoldo,
You speak of being “responsible with our audience” yet you yourself seem to cross that “fine line” rather freely. If you’re going to preach responsibility please do some research prior to publically denouncing a specific topic.

Several of your objections to the sport/art have already been acknowledged in preceding posts so I won’t go into those but I am curious about your statement regarding the Mongols & their eagles. I’m guessing that paragraph was to object to the current practice of falconry but if you had knowledge of current falconry regulations in the United States you would see a very similar system has been devised. This system, in fact, is one I am very proud of as a falconer in the U.S. It is called passage take & specifies that all wild raptors taken for the use of falconry in the U.S. are to be passage or first year birds. As a naturalist I’m sure you’ve heard the statistics of passage raptor mortality (70%-80% of raptors don’t make it through their first year), So, we take our passage bird, hunt it, feed it & see to its welfare during a time that would have been its most perilous & then either keep the bird for another year or, as most U.S. falconers do, release it as breeding stock for future generations of wild raptors.

James, thank you for a considerate post about your falconry experience. I was asked by another falconer on a forum to re-post here my response to the question, “why are you a falconer?”

“…I found myself lost in the question yesterday after a phone conversation with my former [falconry] sponsor. We were talking about technology, the internet, etc. It somehow lead me to tell him how the more days go by the more disenchanted I become with modern reductionism, instant gratification, and the sense of entitlement by which the majority of us seem to be anchored. It’s hard not to notice as you walk or even drive around….people look miserable. We bury ourselves in distractions to the point of misery. I said “without getting too terribly philosophical while I’m working, I’m so much more focused these days on experiences and it’s hard not to want to withdraw from all of that.” He said “that’s why you’re a falconer.”

So that got me stirred up for the rest of the afternoon while building a garage for a client. What brought me to this place, falconry? And moreover what sustains my being here? What drove me so hard that I would snowshoe through deep snow for 4-5 hours until I could provide my redtail with a single hare slip [opportunity]? What made me lay there in a fetal position on the forest floor day after hot, humid summer day as hordes of mosquitoes ripped into me, as my young goshawk took her sweet time- up to an hour- picking away at the meal she was so sure she had discovered on her own? What about the hundreds of hours roaming the forests in search of a goshawk in the first place? Apart from the aesthetics and the beautiful movements of both hawk and prey, why have I found myself so immersed?

Falconry, as I’m certain many of its practitioners have felt for longer than my limited mind can conceive, is so much more than “killing shit” and impressing others. For me, one potential of falconry is to actually help combat the ego, which has so many notions of its own and is hardly to be trusted. The pursuit of experience in falconry, with its unpredictably wild actors and typically natural conditions, tends to open my eyes and ears and shut my mouth. Actually, at times the mouth is simply left gaping.

In pushing the falconry experience further along I have found that my patience is pushed to its extremes. There is no denying that increased patience, which in my opinion is like a muscle that needs to be exercised, can only improve my relationships with people and events. Falconry tells me that it’s ok to not be in control of every thing. It’s ok to simply be amazed. And humbled.

The training of hawks teaches me the complexities of raw fear, and increases my sensitivity to it. When I consider how big a motivator is fear in all things living, I have to think that the opportunity to dispel another being’s fear should be embraced. The practice, like the exercising of patience, can only benefit us in all of our relationships.

The last, but most powerful reason for my falconry that I’ll mention is the life and death struggle. Every animal that one of my birds captures inevitably offers me a glimpse of my own mortality. The effect this awareness has on my entire way of thinking can’t be overstated. I welcome it, and why not? If that’s what it takes to see life for the unlikely but oh so temporary gift that it is, then I’ll continue to do it as long as my bones will carry me through the woods, the fields and the marshes. As I thought about this yesterday I remembered what I wrote in my goshawk’s journal on her last hunt of this past season:

‘I lay there with gloved hand on the squirrel looking eye to eye with my goshawk, completely breathless in the February cold, waiting patiently for three heartbeats to become two.'”

As a falconer of many years, the above all evokes a strong sense of deja vu and shows how difficult it is to alter any long standing opinions. The fact is that many many people who may be anti falconry, are seriously converted after a real-life introduction and experience. Even serious vegetarians and anti-cruelty diehards. One of the most enjoyable facets of falconry is that it brings one right up close with a lot of seriously interesting aspects of nature, which you may otherwise never see, or only at a distance, or only once in a lifetime. Its a bit like macro photography in that it opens up a ‘new’ world that was always there, but that you were never part of. But to someone not intersted in nature or birds of prey, or other animals ‘of prey’, it is very difficult to explain. The above dialoge covers most or the fields though perhaps does not delve into the ‘tradition’ aspect which is also noteworthy. Falconry in some places has achieved the status of a lost art that has been practiced traditionally since time began and when people were more close to their roots. To deny that man was a hunter by necessity and by nature is as preposterous as it is to deny that our modern methods of ensuring a supply of wholesome food is less damaging to life or nature than hunting or falconry. Falconry is to an extent simply bringing something closer, that is happening out there anyway. Hunters and falconers cause enormous species conservations that would not otherwise happen, as they are in the forefront of aspects of nature that we are losing rapidly due to other aspects of our lifestyles. Legislation nowadays tends to get falconers to give more than they take, so in many instances nature is served and not robbed by the practice of this ‘activity’.

I realize there is a share button on this article but I was asked to add your article to our website and I wanted to formally get your permission to do so. May we reprint this (with attribution, of course) at www lastchanceforever.org ?